Beat the Q: Half a million coffees and counting

Beat the Q is a free app allowing users to order and pay for coffee en-route to their regular cafe, is boosting energy levels and productivity, saving Australian workers over 2.5 million minutes of tedious waiting time.

“Research shows that the average person spends about three years of their life just waiting in line. Using their smartphones or computers, Beat the Q customers can select their favourite cafe and place an order from a customised menu with a credit card or PayPal account, all in under ten seconds” says CEO Adam Theobald.

In an industry where competition is fierce Beat the Q is emerging as one of the top applications for users and cafes in busy city and suburban areas.

“The perception is that Beat the Q is only a city CBD thing but some of our busiest outlets include fantastic suburban outlets such as Dose Espresso in Willoughby. People are time poor everywhere, not just in the city” says Theobald.

The success of the app has seen it expand to include food orders as well, so users can now have their breakfast bagel toasted and ready on arrival along with their morning cappuccino. Entire offices can also place one collective order and still pay individually, making it even easier to send someone out on the afternoon coffee run – an obvious advantage compared to that of their competition.

This space is one that will certainly be heating up as we head into 2014 with some of the key competitors of Beat the Q looking at unique advertising models that include major brands shouting customers their morning coffee in exchange for marketing specific products to them based on gathered data.